The Dragonfly Perspective - clarity, freedom, and business beyond the traditional path.

Summer holidays can be amazing........ but let's be honest, they can also push us right to our limit.

If you've found yourself snapping more, feeling guilty, overwhelmed, or wondering why everyone seems to need something from you every five minutes, this episode is for you.

We're digging into what emotional regulation actually looks like as a parent - and it's probably not what you've been told. We'll talk about why your nervous system gets overloaded, how your own childhood patterns can sneak into your parenting, and why losing your patience doesn't make you a bad parent.

I'll share simple, realistic ways to calm your mind and body when life feels chaotic, without adding another impossible to-do list to your day.

Because your children don't need a perfect parent. They need one who's willing to understand themselves, repair when things go wrong, and keep showing up.

If you've ever ended the day thinking, "I could have handled that better," I want you to know you're not alone - and you're definitely not failing.

Grab a cuppa, take a breath, and let's have a real conversation about surviving (and maybe even enjoying) the summer holidays without losing yourself in the process.

If this episode resonates with you, I'd love you to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another parent who needs to hear that they're doing better than they think.

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

In a world dominated by endless headlines, AI, global uncertainty and constant digital noise, the greatest threat may not be what's happening around us - but what it's doing to us. 

This episode explores survival mode, the subconscious mind, nervous system overwhelm and why awareness is the key to reclaiming your peace, perspective and power. 

Discover how to stop reacting to the world's chaos and start responding from your authentic self. Because the greatest revolution isn't happening in the news - it's happening within you.

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

In this episode of The Dragonfly Perspective, we explore why survival mode exists, how it once protected our ancestors from real physical danger, and why that same protective system can now be triggered by everyday stresses like conflict, rejection, uncertainty, and overwhelm.

You'll discover how the brain's survival responses - fight, flight, freeze and fawn - often show up in modern life as people-pleasing, perfectionism, overthinking, avoidance, emotional outbursts or the inability to rest. These aren't character flaws; they're protective strategies your nervous system learned to keep you safe.

We'll also discuss why childhood coping mechanisms can continue into adulthood long after the original danger has passed, and how awareness is the first step towards change.

Finally, you'll learn simple, practical ways to begin calming your nervous system, creating space between reaction and response, and teaching your brain that safety is possible again.

Because healing isn't about becoming someone different - it's about recognising that your alarm system adapted to survive, and gently helping it realise that you're safe enough to truly live.

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of stillbirth, child loss, grief, bereavement, suicide, mental health struggles, and death. Please listen with care and seek support if needed.

There are some stories we never stop carrying.

In this deeply personal episode of The Dragonfly Perspective, I share my co-authored chapter, The Boy with the Button Nose - the story of my son, who was stillborn, and the journey that followed.

This isn't just a story about loss. It's a story about love, motherhood, heartbreak, survival, and hope.

As I read the chapter, I reflect on the devastating loss of my son, the grief of losing my mum and uncle, and the experiences that shaped me as the mother of four beautiful children. I share the reality of navigating life after loss, the questions that never fully leave us, and the strength we often discover only when we have no other choice.

Grief changes us. It leaves marks that can never be erased. But alongside the pain, there can also be growth, connection, purpose, and moments of unexpected beauty.

Whether you have experienced loss yourself, supported someone through grief, or simply want to understand the resilience of the human spirit, this episode is an invitation to sit with one family's story of love and remembrance.

My son's life was measured in moments, but his impact has lasted a lifetime.

I hope that by sharing his story, and the stories of those I've loved and lost, anyone carrying their own grief will feel a little less alone.

Because even in our darkest chapters, hope can still find a way through.

#childloss #stillbirth #griefjourney #bereavement #mentalhealthawareness #resilience #hopeafterloss #motherhood #healingjourney #thedragonflyperspective #podcast #storyofhope #griefsupport #lossandlove

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

Have you ever stopped to wonder whether the life you're living is actually the one you chose...... or the one you inherited?

In this episode of The Dragonfly Perspective, Paula explores how our beliefs about work, money, travel, success and security are often shaped by the people and environments around us. 

Drawing on her recent experiences spending time with entrepreneurs and freedom-focused thinkers, she reflects on what happens when you step into different rooms, hear different conversations and begin questioning the "normal" script.

This isn't about telling you to quit your job or change your life overnight. It's about becoming aware of the beliefs you've accepted without ever questioning them - and asking whether they're still serving you.

Because sometimes, the biggest shift doesn't come from changing your circumstances.

It comes from changing your perspective.

If this episode makes you stop and think, I'd love to hear from you. Share it with someone who needs a different perspective, and let me know - what belief are you questioning today?

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

Have you ever considered that the heaviest thing you carry isn't in your suitcase?

In this episode of The Dragonfly Perspective, Paula shares a powerful reflection inspired by travel, revealing how our past experiences, beliefs, fears, and expectations can become the invisible baggage that shapes our lives without us even realising it.

Drawing on over 20 years of experience in mental health, she explores why two people can experience the same situation but respond in completely different ways, how unconscious patterns influence our decisions, and why awareness is the first step towards lasting change.

Through thought-provoking stories and practical reflection, you'll discover how to recognise the emotional luggage you've been carrying, learn to distinguish between what belongs to your past and what belongs to your present, and begin travelling through life with a little more freedom.

Because sometimes the greatest journey isn't to a new destination- it's back to yourself.

Knowledge is power. Awareness is freedom. Travel is living.

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

On a tram journey to the airport, I noticed something that stayed with me long after I arrived.

A carriage full of commuters sat with their heads down, lost in their phones. Then one young woman caught my attention. For a brief moment, our eyes met before she reached into her bag, pulled out her make-up, and began applying it layer by layer. As she finished, she looked into her mirror and smiled.

But it wasn't a real smile.

It was the smile many of us wear when we're preparing to face another day.

In this episode, I explore the invisible masks we wear, the pressure to keep going when we're exhausted, and how modern life can slowly disconnect us from ourselves without us even realising it.

Drawing on over 20 years of experience in mental health, I share why awareness is the first step to breaking unconscious patterns, rebuilding self-trust, and hearing your own voice in a world full of noise.

If you've ever felt like you're performing your way through life rather than truly living it, this episode is for you.

Knowledge is power. Awareness is freedom. Travel is living.🦋

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

We're surrounded by more information than ever before, yet many people feel more confused, overwhelmed, and stuck than ever.

In this episode, Paula explores the difference between information and awareness, and why collecting more knowledge isn't always the answer. Drawing on over 20 years of experience in mental health, she shares how real transformation happens when we stop looking outside ourselves for answers and start recognising the patterns, beliefs, and conditioning shaping our decisions.

If you've ever found yourself taking another course, reading another book, or waiting until you have "enough information" before taking action, this episode may challenge your perspective.

Discover why self-trust is becoming one of the most important skills of our time and how awareness can help you navigate a world full of noise, influence, and manipulation.

Knowledge is power. Awareness is freedom. Travel is living. 🦋

Get your Awareness Shift Meditation here

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

Long before social media, people gathered around campfires, traded stories, shared knowledge and learned from one another.

In this solo episode, Paula revisits a concept from her early podcasting days called 'The Caravan Model' and explores why it feels more relevant today than ever.

Drawing connections between The Dragonfly Almanac, recent guest conversations, and the powerful transformations she's witnessing through Travel, Tea & Tarot, Paula explores the growing epidemic of disconnection in modern life and why information alone isn't enough.

This episode dives into intuition, self-trust, community, perspective and the forgotten power of meaningful human connection.

If you've been feeling overwhelmed, disconnected or stuck in the noise of modern life, this conversation is an invitation to slow down, reconnect and remember who you are beneath the expectations, conditioning and chaos.

Knowledge is power. Awareness is freedom. Travel is living.

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com

In this episode of The Dragonfly Perspective, Paula Fearn sits down with Carrie Vaja for a thought-provoking conversation around identity, intuition, self-awareness, and the patterns that quietly shape our lives.

Together, they explore what happens when we stop performing as who the world expects us to be and start reconnecting with who we actually are beneath the conditioning, pressure, and noise.

This episode dives into:
• Trusting your intuition in a distracted world
• The disconnect between confidence and authenticity
• Breaking survival patterns and reclaiming freedom
• Navigating growth, change, and self-awareness
• Why questioning your reality can change your life

Raw, honest, and reflective - this conversation is a reminder that awareness is often the first step towards transformation.

Knowledge is power. Awareness is freedom. Travel is living.

Carry on the conversation at www.paulafearn.com